


Teenage Dirtbag

by angelastjoan



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:19:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelastjoan/pseuds/angelastjoan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lip makes a friend. Most of these take place during or after an episode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Promises

Noel shook her hand out. The cold had seeped into her bones and curled her fingers unnaturally as she attempted to text through her gloves. She was crossing the quad when a familiar smell wafted her way. She looked up from the glow of her iphone to the empty path winding its way around the building.

 

She caught another whiff of a particular pungent aroma and took off toward the side of the Stata Center. She blinked against the cold flakes falling down on her from the dark sky above and barely made out a huddled figure standing under the overhang of the exit of the cafeteria. She glanced down at her phone and the text she had yet to answer and with a small inner war going on in her head, she shoved the phone down into her pocket and hunched into her wool peacoat, striding across the empty alley.

 

Lip's eyes were closed, his head tilted back as he held the weed smoke tight inside his lungs before releasing it in a noisy exhale. As he did he heard movement from his right and he straightened, glancing in that direction. The girl coming toward him looked as if she were on a mission. Her legs strode with purpose towards him, boots carrying her across the snow dusted cement ramp leading up to where he stood. She stopped just a few feet away, not quite under the awning, snowflakes turning her hooded head white.

 

"Name's Noel."

 

"Lip," was all he could say as watched her pull a clean leather wallet out of her coat and started calculating how much he could roll her for.

 

Then she used her teeth to pull the glove off her right hand and extracted an expertly rolled joint from the wallet before shoving it, along with her glove, back into her pocket. She held the j out to him. "I don't have a lighter. Trade?"

 

Lip handed her his second rate joint and took hers, fingertips brushing in the exchange. He lit her joint, impressed at the quality of herb, as she sucked in a long draw off his. Her sigh accompanied by her pleased smile told him she wasn't a prude when it came to grade value. She seemed just as happy to smoke the lower class shit he had scored. When he tried to hand hers back she shook her head. "Keep it. I've got a couple more." She looked him over once from his loose leather coat he was hunched into down to the toes of his second hand boots.  "Freshman?"

 

His nod was quick and the gust of wind that followed her question made him turn his back so the joint wouldn't go out. He grinned when he saw her do the same as if it were a reflex.

 

After the day he'd had he needed to be sure so he asked, "You're not a tutor are you?"

 

Noel laughed, the buzz from the weed and the preposterous question catching her off guard. "What? Where did that come from?"

 

"I had a run in with a math tutor today. Sororities aren't my thing."

 

Noel closed the distance between them until she was close enough to see his features more clearly. "Definitely not a tutor. And Greek will never be my second language. I'm in the East Campus dorms."

 

Lip help up the end of the joint and took a last toke before snuffing it out on the wall beside him. "I'm in East too. Is that where you were headed?"

 

The chime of her phone interrupted her answer and she handed him the roach to get rid of while she answered the call.

 

Lip watched as she rolled her eyes and turned away from him to speak to someone named Jimmy. She assured the caller she was fine and hanging out with a friend. He raised his eyebrow at the tone she used when she spat out, "Yes, he's a guy. Get the fuck over it."

 

She hung up and clenched the phone tight in her bare fist for a moment. Making no apologies she finally turned back toward him. "Mind walking me home?"

 

It didn't take long for them to get there and once they made it inside the building and away from the below freezing tempurates Noel said, "I'm going to invite you up to my room but before I do I need to tell you that we aren't going to fuck. Not tonight, at least. But I ventured out in the storm for this," she reached into her left pocket and produced a red envelope with a flourish. "I'm going to watch Evil Dead and I could use the company."

 

Lip leaned against the panel for the elevator and stared at her thoughtfully. He liked her straight forward tactic and she had a really pretty pair of eyes. He couldn't tell if they were a whiskey brown or more of a cherry oak but he was sure sonnets had been written about them. It took him a minute to gather himself and when he did he replied, "The original or the remake?"

 

Her answering smile caught him off guard and she reached around him, arm brushing against his, as she depressed the button to call the elevator down. "I liked the remake but I'm a cult classic purist."

 

Lip's throat worked to swallow at her closeness and he wondered if he could trust himself not to make a move on her.

 

There was a ding signalling the arrival of the lift and then they were on it and heading up. Noel's phone rang twice and she ignored it both times. Which was fine with Lip.

 

They reached her dorm, just a floor above his, and he wasn't surprised to see she didn't have a roommate. It seemed a lot of upperclassmen either lived off campus or got a single. He was surprised, however, that her room was decorated in hippy shit. She had posters of long dead rock stars covering her walls and pillows were stacked on the floor in the corner of the room opposite her bed. She took off her gloves and hat and scarf and coat and Lip finally got his first good look at her.

 

She had on a Pink Floyd tshirt and jeans that hung just a little loose off her hips with a pair of boots with the laces shoved down behind the tongue. Lip stripped himself of his coat and gloves and kicked off his boots just as she did hers.

 

She waved him over to the pillows while she turned on the TV and started the movie. Lip leaned back under the glow in the dark stars stuck to the wall behind him and moved his arm for Noel when she plopped down next to him.

 

He heard her phone go off one more time from the pocket of her coat but she didn't even look that way. They reclined in silence, engrossed in the scene taking place in the cabin in the woods where Ash and his friends were being terrorized. Lip's eyes threatened to close the longer he laid there until he thought he should get up and go to his own room. As if suffering the same sleepiness as him, Noel sleepily asked, "What time do you have to be up?"

 

She leaned past him for her little alarm clock and set the time he told her. Then she put the alarm clock back on her nightstand and curled into his side where she nestled her head against his chest.

 

Lip thought about how soft her hair was and how much he wanted to touch it and then, without getting to satisfy his curiosity, he succumbed to sleep.

 

Lip woke up alone to the incessant beeping of the alarm clock and the rub of fur against his arm. He didn't know where Noel was but her cat, one he hadn't even knew existed, swished its tail at him before jumping up next to the TV. A sticky note on the TV informed him she had class and that she'd see him around.

 

He wondered if that was a brush off. Wondered if maybe he snored in his sleep and scared her off. Then he remembered her bluntness from the night before and smiled. It wasn't a brush off. It was a promise. And it was one he was going to hold her to.

 


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> companion to Strangers on a Train

She was coming out of the library when Lip pushed past her and she stood stunned for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. Following him, chasing really, were two burly security guards that she stepped to the side for. Deciding to stick around and find out what was going on Noel walked over to a set of brick benches and dropped her bag to the ground before settling herself down. She took out her notes for her midterm and started studying.

 

Almost ten minutes later, Lip, looking behind him, ducked out of the door to the library and sidled around the side of the building. Curious, Noel stuck her book back into her bag and after checking to make sure security was still occupied inside, she followed after Lip.

 

His head was down and he was walking fast so she picked up her pace. It wasn't until they were a safe distance away that she called out to him. His head immediately whipped around and his less than enthusiastic expression didn't hurt her in the least. She caught up to him at the corner that led to the train station.

 

"Hey. Going somewhere?"

 

Lip had his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Home."

 

He didn't have a bag with him and she was pretty sure his jeans were wet... "Weekend trip?"

 

It didn't escape her that he hadn't once looked her in the eye. "How about forever."

 

Noel rolled her eyes. "God, don't be so dramatic. What happened?"

 

"Nazi professors is what happened. I just need to get out of here." He turned toward her suddenly, startling her with his intensity. "Don't you ever just want to tell them to fuck themselves? What gives them the right to judge us and decide what we get to do with our futures?"

 

Noel frowned as she thought and when the light turned green for them to walk she fell into step beside him. "You have authority issues? Are you starting a revolution? Are you turning anarchist on me?" She raised a fist into the air and proclaimed, "Fuck the government! Fuck the patriarchal structure!"

 

Lip, mouth turned up in a half smile, reached out and physically lowered her arm with his hand. "It's not that. I just don't-" He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "I just don't think this is where I should be."

 

Noel raised her hand and ruffled his hair through her fingers. "You are where you are. You put yourself or take yourself out of the situation." She let go of his hair and stepped back. "But for what it's worth, I think you belong right here." Her phone beeped an alarm. "I have to get to class." Noel stepped towards him and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Have a safe trip."

 

Lip watched her cross the street and head back the way they had come, eyes on her until she turned the corner to take her to campus.

 

He argued with himself on the sidewalk. He could follow after her, meet her after class and go with her to grab something for lunch. Or he could go home and convince himself that doing nothing with his life was better than being here.

 

In the end he went home, if only for the day. He fucked Mandy and thought of Noel and lasted about thirty seconds. When he mentioned that having kids wouldn't be so bad he thought of Karen and the pain he had gone through. He had set himself up to have a family. A real one with a mom and him as the dad and how he would be different. He'd be the real deal. And he'd never make the kid feel like a burden.  The hurt quickly resurfaced and he called Mandy a skank and got what he deserved.  Then he got buzzed at The Alibi on Kevin's dime and he got advice in the form of a scolding by the only dad he'd ever known.

 

By the time he got back to school he had a pretty clear plan of what he wanted to do. It had helped to get away although his face still bore a red mark from Mandy's slap and his breath still reeked of beer when he confronted his professor.

  
After he took the exam and got a near perfect score he headed for the dorms to see if Noel had already had dinner. Maybe they could grab that pizza after all.


	3. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *spoilers* Takes place after both episodes There's the Rub and Iron City.

"Hey," Noel looked up from her book to Ron's voice. She'd been looking for Lip since lunchtime and had decided to camp out in front of his door. She'd called him twice but both times it had gone directly to voice mail and she wasn't sure what to think of that. Ron wasn't the person she'd come here to see but he was second best. 

"Hi. I was just waiting for Lip." Noel stood up as Ron unlocked his dorm room and then followed him inside. She held her book close to her chest as she stood near the door. 

Ron busied himself with gathering books into his bag before shoving some food in as well. "Didn't you hear? His little brother is in the hospital. Lip went home yesterday."

Noel watched as Ron rushed around the room, packing. "I knew he went home for his sister’s birthday but he had class this morning. I didn't know he was still there." 

Ron zipped his bag closed and stared at her before awkwardly offering, "He asked me to bring him a few things. Amanda is driving down if you want to come with us."

She looked around the room hastily making sure Ron had gotten everything Lip might need. On a whim she moved to his dresser and opened his drawers one by one, grabbing whatever lay on top and shoving the clothes into her over sized purse. When she finished she nodded to him. "Okay. Let's go."

Noel felt as if she had held her breath the entire drive. When they reached the hospital it was late for visitors and Amanda didn't want to park so she let them out near the entrance. Noel rode in the elevator with Ron and didn't speak. Couldn't speak, really. The closer she got to where she knew Lip was the more anxious she became. What if he didn't want her here? He had enough to worry about than to add her to the list. Ron tried to assuage her fears by telling her, "I wouldn't have invited you if I thought he'd mind. He needs a friend and I can't miss classes."

Noel studied him from the corner of her eye. He was insinuating that he knew she could afford to skip a few days. Ron said quietly, "Yeah, I know who you are. I haven't told him yet. You're secret is safe for now."

She looked down at her boots and swallowed hard just as the doors opened to reveal a waiting room. Ron immediately walked to where Lip was sitting, books strewn across chairs to the right, left, and front of him. She stepped out of the elevator just as a nurse and doctor got on. Unsure of how to approach the guys she just hung back until she heard Ron mention ramen and Amanda waiting in the car. Then he turned towards where he thought she'd be and she stepped forward.

Lip's hand, resting on a poetry book, tightened into a fist against the cover. She wondered if she'd made a mistake coming here but then he stood up and came toward her and she dropped her bag to the floor to receive his welcoming hug.

Ron left quickly, probably afraid of being left behind by his girlfriend. Lip moved a pile of books off one of the chairs beside him and offered it to her. She watched in silence as he opened the book and looked at his paper, a look of relief washing over his features at the good grade. When he closed the book again and set it aside she saw the way his shoulders fell as if the weight of everything happening was holding him down. 

She reached out a hand and laid it against his arm. He seemed to collect himself before asking her, "Why did you come here?"

Noel took a deep breath before answering. "I was worried about you. About your brother."

"You don't even know my brother."

Noel shook her head, "I know you. Everyone you love matters to me." It struck her as odd that he was here alone and she asked where his parents were. He quickly gave her the rundown.

Mom was bipolar. Dad was dying. Sister was in jail. Three brothers. One on the run from the military, one at home, and the youngest being treated for an overdose. And one other sister who should be home but was out who knew where.

"I bet you have a nice, normal family and have never had to steal anything in your life."

Now was definitely not the time to tell him that her dad was the Dean of MIT. Instead she agreed with him, "My life is pretty normal. I stole once just to see if I could. When I didn't get caught I felt so bad I turned myself in. I was 9. And the candy bar I lifted wasn't even my favorite kind. I make a pretty shitty thief."

Lip grinned while he listened to her story, wondering if Carl ever stole anything that petty. "I bet there were pigtails involved.” His hand casually reached up and flicked the end of her sloppy braid that hung over her shoulder. 

She stared into his eyes as she agreed, “Probably.”

Lip looked away first, down at the books in front of him and then off into the hall leading to swinging double doors. It was late and she was sure he wasn't going to go home tonight. He was still wearing the same clothes she had seen him in the day before so she gently set her purse down in his lap. “Ron wasn’t the only one that brought you something.”

He looked into the bag and smiled tiredly. “Fresh threads.”

Giving him a gentle shove she got him up and moving. “Go get clean. I’ll pack these up and find a room we can crash in.”

Lip held a change of clothes in his arms and watched as she started shifting things around. Not sure what to say he finally blurted, “I missed my Quantum Physics quiz.”

Noel didn’t look up, just kept stacking things onto one chair, “I’m sure they’ll let you make it up. Family emergency and all.”

He took two steps backwards, still staring at her. “Thanks.”

She swept her bangs to the side and finally looked up at him. “You’re welcome. Now go change.”

While he was cleaning up Noel tracked down a nurse and asked for a place to stay. When Lip came back out to the waiting room she showed him to their room for the night. An empty bed and an uncomfortable looking recliner were the only options. Lip moved for the chair and Noel caught his hand with hers. “We’re just sleeping.” She tossed their bags onto the chair and then led him to the bed. After getting comfortable on top of the threadbare sheets she waved him forward. “Come on. Liam gets out tomorrow. You need to rest.”

He didn’t know how he was ever going to get any sleep as he climbed onto the mattress beside her. She immediately rolled into him and curled her body into his side, resting the side of her face on his chest. The warmth of her and the smell of her soap that he had become familiar with comforted him and it didn’t take long for his body to tighten and relax at the same time.

He slept fitfully but he did sleep and when he woke up to a knock on the door, a nurse checking on them, this time he wasn’t alone.

Noel straightened the room and grabbed both of their bags while Lip went to see Liam. She was waiting in the lobby, the same one from last night, when a pile of people got off the elevator. A blonde woman was pushing a man in a wheelchair and a short round kid was walking right behind her. A tall goateed man and a very pregnant woman got off the elevator next, another boy walking behind them. She immediately recognized Carl from a picture Lip had shown her on his phone. 

She stood up and scooted her bag onto the floor beside Lip’s when he came out from behind the double doors. Lip nearly drew up short seeing Noel standing there with the rest of his family. For a second she looked like she belonged until he remembered she was normal. Carl stood to the side, checking her out and Lip was sure he was mentally filing away her image for his spank bank in the old memory vault.

He heard Carl say, “Nice legs.” And briefly closed his eyes so he wouldn’t yell at him in front of everyone when Noel fired back, “Call me when you’re legal, kid.” Carl grinned at Lip and nodded as if he were the man and Lip just shook his head in response.

He introduced her to everyone, even Sammi and Chuckie whose names he had just learned. V fell into a conversation with her about school and he listened to them until Debbie finally showed up. Luckily his conversation with her was put on hold as Liam finally came through the doors at the end of the hall, being pushed in a small wheelchair. Noel stood back as the family pushed forward as a unit to welcome the little boy and shower him in affection.

For the first time she finally got to see Lip. See where he came from. See where he would always return to. And she fell just a little bit in love.


	4. Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> takes place towards the end of A Jailbird, Invalid, Martyr, Cutter, Retard, And Parasitic Twin

Noel heard the knock on the bathroom door but didn’t think anything of it.  She had just reached back to grab the knob to open the door when another knock sounded and then a body fell through the door and landed on the tile in front of her.  She threw her toothbrush towards the sink and knelt down beside Frank.  She cupped her shaking hand in front of his lips to see if he was breathing and tried not to gag at the smell of what clearly had to be feces.

 

She felt for a pulse and found a weak, thready bump reassuring her he wasn’t dead quite yet. In relief, she tripped her way out of the bathroom and yelled for Lip.  Carl came out of his room first and she grabbed his arm.  “Go get Lip.  Frank passed out.”  In true kid fashion Carl went to the top of the stairs and yelled down for Lip to come up and then he rounded into the bathroom where Noel had retreated to.  She rolled Frank onto his side so he didn’t choke on his own puke if it came to that.  When she saw Carl curiously watching from the doorway she made a face.  “What should we do with him?”

 

Lip charged into the bathroom followed by Fiona.  “Are you fucking serious right now?”  His tone of voice was one of pure disgust and he gagged on the smell coming from Frank.  He ordered Carl to grab his legs while he grabbed his arms and they hauled him out into the hallway.  Noel stood near the sink and out of the way as Lip blew up at Sammi and then she heard the rustle on the stairs and then the front door slammed.

 

She moved to the hallway where Fiona stood and watched as Carl came back up and disappeared into his room as if nothing had happened.

 

Fiona looked over at her and smiled sarcastically.  “Welcome to the family.”

 

Noel winced and watched her go downstairs, probably to sort things out with Lip. Noel stopped by Carl’s door and knocked lightly.  At his “yeah” she opened the door enough to peek in.  “You okay?”

 

He looked at her questioningly.  “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

Noel shook her head and said, “Just checking.”  Then she closed the door and stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.

 

She planned to crash on the couch tonight but she didn’t make it further than the step at the top of the stairs before she slowly lowered herself to sit on the edge.

 

She could hear Lip and Fiona arguing. First about Frank and then Liam. Debbie, whom she’d only met once, came up the stairs stomping past her and went straight to her room.

 

Noel blew out a breath and was just trying to decide what to do next when Lip walked part way up the stairs and stopped at the landing halfway up where the stairs turned. He studied her carefully, looking for any signs that she was going to crack under the pressure of his dysfunctional family.

 

“If you left now I wouldn’t blame you.”

 

She smiled solemnly.  “And miss you busting Carl for the joint he snuck out of Frank’s room? Not likely.”

 

Lip ran a hand tiredly through his hair.  “I probably shouldn’t let him keep that but honestly that’s probably not the worst thing Carl’s been under the influence of.”

 

Noel scooted as far to the side of the step as she could and patted the carpeted spot beside her in invitation.  After he sat next to her he stretched his legs out as far as he could.  Noel didn’t lean against him like she wanted to.  She didn’t want him to think she needed him to save her too.

 

After a moment of silence Lip finally said, “I’m going to bring Liam back to school with me.”

 

Noel glanced at him from the corner of her eye, waiting for him to ask for help and knowing he wouldn’t.  Lip was the type to take what he needed, whether it was offered or not.  And that’s what prompted her to say, “I’ll be there.”

  
His hand found hers and he held it in a tight grip, taking the only comfort from her that he could. He hoped she’d be there. He was going to need the support since he wasn’t going to get it from the one person he could usually count on; Fiona.


End file.
